There was no stopping Lindsey Vonn at Lake Louise as she maintained her ideal start to the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup downhill season.
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In winning the women’s downhill on Friday, Vonn posted a time of 1:50.50.
Austrians Tamara Tippler and Cornelia Huetter were second and third.
With that career 69 World Cup victory, and her 17 at “Lake Lindsey”, Vonn has strengthened her confidence in her current shape.
“I feel like there were some people that doubted whether I could win today, and especially because Lara [Gut] had won the last couple races here in super-G”, Vonn said, according to media in Lake Louise. With her weekend sweep, the St. Paul, Minn. native upped her totals to an astounding 70 World Cup victories, including 18 at Lake Louise – the most by any skier at any single venue.
The World Cup tour resumes next week with technical events in Are, Sweden.
“After [last] weekend [in Aspen, where Shiffrin won two slalom races], I’d say it is fairly realistic”, Shiffrin said of winning the overall title. “I felt solid on the skis and it was really fun to be honest”. “I was so confident in all disciplines”, reflected Vonn.
In any race, Vonn finds herself in the vortex of the pressure – not that she minds. “Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I’ve lost any desire to continue to win and to continue to ski fast”, the 31-year-old concluded.
“There are girls who probably haven’t raced this hill with these conditions before and I’ve probably done it 10 times”, Vonn said. “Even when she makes mistakes, it’s always in a part of the course that’s like, ‘Who cares?’ She knows how to carry her speed”.
The athletes will get another chance to master the course as a second downhill is scheduled for Saturday followed by a super-G on Sunday.
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She was hurt in a 2013 training run barely two weeks before Lake Louise, reinjuring her right knee, and settled for 40th and 11th in downhills and fifth in the Super-G. “You’ve skied it before, you believe in what you’re doing and you don’t get afraid”. I don’t second guess what’s going on. “We’ll see how it goes”.
